Siletz Indians host three-day pow-wow celebrating Indigenous culture starting Friday, Aug. 7

By OREGON COAST TODAY

The Pauline Ricks Memorial Pow-Wow Grounds in Siletz will welcome dancers, drummers, artists and visitors from across the country to the annual Nesika Illahee Pow-Wow this Friday Aug. 7, through Sunday, Aug. 9.

Hosted by the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, the three-day gathering celebrates Indigenous culture while welcoming Native and non-Native visitors to experience one of the region’s longest-running cultural events.

The weekend begins Friday with memorials and giveaways from noon to 5 p.m., followed by the presentation of crowns and royalty pageant at 6 p.m. and the first grand entry at 7 p.m. Teen and youth competitive dancing preliminaries follow the evening’s grand entry.

The annual Nesika Illahee Pow-Wow Parade steps off at 10 a.m. on Saturday, with traffic diverted around Highway 229 to make way for floats, dancing and plenty of candy and prize tossing along the main street of Siletz.

Activities return to the pow-wow grounds for the second grand entry at 1 p.m. and the third grand entry at 7 p.m., featuring competitive dancing, drum groups and special exhibitions.

The celebration concludes Sunday with the final grand entry at noon, followed by special dances including the team dance, owl dance, women’s basket cap special and round bustle special for men. A traditional salmon dinner will be served in the afternoon, with drum and dance competition winners announced before the closing ceremony.

Throughout the weekend, more than 50 vendors will offer Native arts, crafts, jewelry and traditional foods while dancers and drum groups from across the U.S. and beyond perform in the arena.

The pow-wow is a drug- and alcohol-free event. Because parking at the grounds is limited, visitors are encouraged to use the free shuttle service from park-and-ride locations in Siletz. ​​Look for posted signs around the town pointing to the designated park-and-ride lots.

The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians are the most diverse confederation of tribes and bands on a single reservation in the U.S. Tribal ancestors spoke 10 distinct languages with multiple dialects, and had deep connections to their more than 20 million acres of ancestral territory. It included all of western Oregon from the summit of the Cascade Mountains to the Pacific Ocean and extended into what is now southwest Washington and northern California.

For more information about the pow-wow, go to ctsi.nsn.us.

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